Russian forces are attempting to create an active fighting zone in Ukraine’s northeastern region of Sumy, across the border from Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine’s border guard spokesman said on Monday.
Russian forces have stepped up their pressure on Ukrainian troops holding parts of Kursk seven months after a cross-border assault that Kyiv launched in part to gain a bargaining chip in possible peace negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travels to Saudi Arabia on Monday ahead of talks between Ukrainian and US officials on ending the war with Russia.
“We have recorded that in the direction of Novenke, the enemy is still trying to create a zone of active hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, trying to gain a foothold there,” border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko told Ukrainian national television.